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Blood Brothers

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"Darkness, darkness be my blanket,
Cover me with endless night."
-- Jesse Colin Young

"Don't die, don't die, don't die. Can't you hear me? You can't die when we're doing all we can to save you.
"A few more minutes pass. The doctor tells me to stop. 'Still no pulse without CPR,' Guthrie says finally.
"The doctor breathes in deep and lets it out slow. 'Let's call it.' He removes his gloves, his face mask, his gown. He slams them into the trash. 'We can't do anything more.' He frowns and his big brown eyes glisten in the bright light.
"I don't want to stop. I want to tell the girl I'm sorry she's dead and won't ever go to college, or fall in love, or do anything she ever dreamed of doing. I'm sorry she won't ever be able to get mad over something stupid. I'm sorry, but we gave everything we had to give.
" 'Thank you,' Dr. Murphy tells us. 'For all your help.'
"I stand there and listen. All I can hear is a buzz from a machine. All I can see is the dead girl. She fills the room even though she's just a small, still body on the metal table.
" 'I can't do this right now,' Guthrie says. 'I'll be back in a few minutes to finish up.' I pull the sheet over the girl. I won't leave her there lying naked. On the way out, I leave the door cracked just in case there really is a soul and it needs to escape.
"I step into the waiting room in time to hear the wailing of the girl's mother, her father's anguish. Head down, I start thinking about Michelle, about Joey, about myself -- and it hits me. What right do I have to be so pissed about how they treated me? Everything that's happened with them seems as important as bird droppings when a teenage girl dies in front of you."

Clay Gardener, Med Tech One, is the youngest employee in a Georgia hospital. Nearly eighteen years ago, Clay himself entered the world in a far away hospital in Endurance, Texas, where his mother died giving birth to him.

For the past ten years Clay has been best friend and cycling partner to Joey Chancey. The pair met after the warehouse in Endurance, where Clay's dad had worked, burned to the ground and Clay's dad moved him and his sister to the Georgia town where his dad's old Vietnam War buddy -- Joey's dad -- lives. Clay, who with Joey, graduated from high school last month, has always wanted to be a doctor, but he doesn't have the grades or the money to pursue his dream. Instead, he's doing twelve-hour shifts at the hospital. Joey, the class valedictorian and football hero, is heading to Duke in the fall.

But after Clay gets off the tough shift that was marked by the teen girl's death (after a car accident), he wearily enters the shed in Joey's backyard -- the shed that has always been Clay and Joey's clubhouse and sanctuary -- and finds Joey naked and in a violent, psychotic state. Apparently it has something to do with a party Joey had been at. After an intense struggle in the shed, Clay has to call 911 and soon Joey is on life support at the hospital.

What has happened to the supposedly straight-arrow Joey and what is the deal with Michelle, the girl who was sort of with Clay but who has been coming on strong to Joey?

BLOOD BROTHERS is a gritty mystery which is relentless in its pacing because Clay has to sandwich his attempts to figure out what happened to Joey into those all-too-brief periods of time when he is not either working at the hospital or watching his friend's struggle in critical care.

The author's long career working in hospitals, beginning as a teenager, is clearly responsible for the vivid depictions of hospital work -- from the yucky and mundane tasks to the life-and-death climaxes -- which will hold the interest of all but the most squeamish readers. Chalk another one up to the Class of 2K7.

BLOOD BROTHERS explores the complexities of friendship amid the realistic backdrop of a hospital.

Clay can't afford a car or college and has always envied his best friend Joey who has a great family and a bright future. That changes in an instant when Joey goes crazy on drugs and attacks Clay. But it's Joey who ends up in the hospital, clinging to life. Clay blames himself and sets out to find out how Joey got the drugs and what really happened at a party. But will his discovery solve or sever trusted friendships? Even when the last page closes, the bittersweet story lingers like a fragrance of hope.

S. A. Harazin's experience working at a hospital brings the medical setting alive with fascinating details.
BLOOD BROTHERS is a suspenseful, emotional novel that will appeal to both reluctant and literary readers.

Librarians, teachers, parents, teens don't miss this amazing first novel from S.A. Harazin.

Bad Girls Club

Every teen needs a place to call home and someone to believe in them and love them. Clay has never really had that. His father has emotionally abandoned him and forced him to help pay rent. So Clay has found his home in the hospital where he works and this gives his life meaning. Other than that, there isn't much that holds his life together.

But he has Joey. His bestfriend has helped him for a long time but Clay's life changes when Joey ends up in a coma and it looks like maybe he's not coming back.

I am amazed by Clay's resilience and ability to keep going even though everything is against him. I do love survivor stories and this is one you might like, too! I needed to know what happened at the end and worrying about both boys pushed me to read on, quickly, and find out.

In BLOOD BROTHERS, S. A. Harazin combines many "teens will love it" elements sure to be a success for the young adult crowd.

Clay and Joey are best friends, even though their lives are quite different. Clay's mother died when he was just a baby, and while he lives with his dad, there's not much interaction between them. He pretty much fends for himself. Joey, on the other hand, has a great family, gets good grades, and has a terrific future ahead of him.

One night Joey calls Clay. It is obvious that Joey is not himself. He sounds confused and angry, possibly drunk. When Clay arrives, Joey flies into a mad rage, and while attempting to calm Joey and protect himself, Clay shoves Joey. The incident ends in a 911 call with Joey ending up in the hospital in a coma.

Clay works as a nurses' assistant at the hospital and knows just how bad things look for his friend. The personal guilt combined with the hostility he feels from his best friend's parents make Clay determined to investigate exactly what happened to Joey that night. There was some sort of party. Was Joey really just drunk or was it drugs? And if so, what kind of drugs and where did he get them?

Readers are taken along on the wild ride as Clay tries to solve the mystery, do what he can to keep his friend comfortable, and hang on to his own job. Teens will appreciate that S. A. Harazin writes on a realistic level and doesn't try to baby them. The direct, honest approach will attract teen readers and have them recommending this one to their friends.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Blood Brothers is beautifully written, gripping--a real page turner. Now I want a sequel! =)

Most books that deal with drug use gone seriously wrong only touch the surface of what the family, friends, and even victims go through before and after. But BLOOD BROTHERS by Shirley Harazin shows a realistic portrayal of the terrible after effects of drug use. From the very first page I was hooked.

BF's Clay and Joey have been through alot of history. Clay still remembers the first time they met when his father lost his job and he shows up at their house one Christmas Eve. Joey's parents have Clay, his sister, and father sleep in the shed which horrifies Clay's sister. Joey loves it. Later Clay's family leaves, but Clay comes back and becomes 'blood brothers' with Joey.

Their friendship lasts until that one fateful day. Blame it on a girl. Or a party. Something terrible happens to Joey that has Clay questioning whether or not he is to blame. Clay watches in horror as his once charismatic friend slowly slips away. What happened that one night? Clay vowes to find out. The answer will change Clay forever.

I loved this story. Powerful writing grips the reader with an intense tale of friendship and loss. Shirley Harazin does a great job showing the pain Clay feels watching his BF slowly die from an overdose. The hospital scenes were strong and kept me on the edge of my seat. What I really loved was how Harazin shows us both boys and the love that's between them. I cared for Clay and felt his pain, anger, and loss. A very haunting tale that's guaranteed to stay with the reader. I recommend this book to those looking for not just the usual friend-takes-PCP-freaks-goes into coma-dies story. No, this story is much more. I can see why it's nominated for the Edgar award. Very powerful story that will have you say, "Wow."

Joey Chancey is the perfect friend, smart, handsome, rich, and athletic all in one package. He was both Student of the Year and Valedictorian, and plans to head to Duke in the fall. He's everything Clay Gardener is not. Yet they've been best buds since Clay was seven and Clay's family arrived at the Chancey's doorstep.

Clay has always measured himself against Joey. Unlike Clay, Joey has parents who cry when Joey gets awards, who watch when they boys ride down the road on their bikes, and who are fiercely protective of their only son. Clay was raised by his older sister and has never known his mom. His dad drives a garbage truck and otherwise snores his life away, while Clay works as the hospital as an orderly to help pay the rent. He rides his bike everywhere because he can't afford a car. He and Joey are so different, yet Jody still calls Clay his best friend.

The two boys have been training for months for a cross-county bike trip. They plan to leave on Clay's 18th birthday after dipping their tires in the Atlantic Ocean. Instead they fight over a girl. Clay's girl. Who now wants Joey. All the girls like Joey. But does he have to take Michelle, too?

When Clay goes over to the Chancey's to talk, he finds Joey in the shed naked, and acting crazy. Joey comes after Clay with a hoe and Clay must defend himself. Now Joey's in the hospital with tubes snaking everywhere. As far as Clay knows, Joey has never and would never take drugs. Clay bathes his unconscious best friend and vows to find out what happened.

BLOOD BROTHERS by S. A. Harazin is one of those books you simply cannot put down. I had to stop in the middle and couldn't wait to finish it. The author immerses the reader in the world of an orderly in the ER from the first page without intimidating the reader with excessive hospital jargon. The reader sees what Clay does not. Clay is thoughtful, kind, sensitive, and thorough. The reader has no doubt that, one day, Clay will be a doctor. Clay is everything he sees in Joey. And more. This is a fabulous read. Well done!

"Blood Brothers" by SA Harazin captured my attention at the beginning of the book. It is fast paced and keeps the reader's interest at all times.
The story has a meaningful message to young adults. I felt this was an exceptional story and I look forward to future novels by Ms Harazin.
I've ordered several copies to give as gifts, and I think the parents of the young people will appreciate the book.

I don't have nearly enough time to read, but this book captivated me. I put aside my own writing to read it, and finished it in just two days. It reminded of SE Hinton - a good kid from a bad background, still trying to do what's right. The end made me cry. Highly recommended!

S.A. Harazin's BLOOD BROTHERS provides a fine pick for advanced teen readers and tells of 17-year-old Clay, who loves working as a hospital orderly assisting in the ER. When his best friend enters the hospital for a suspected drug overdose, Clay may be blamed for his condition - and finds himself drawn into an investigation of his best friend's darker side, in order to save his job and reputation. A fast-paced story of friendship and courage evolves.